Interbike live tech coverage: day three

by CyclingTips

September 24, 2016

Photography by James Huang

We’ve been bringing you plenty of tech from Interbike and have more to show today. US technical editor James Huang is busy with his camera, checking out the latest products on offer and giving the important details behind the images.

Once again, we’ll be updating this photo gallery throughout the day with a continuous stream of fresh images and information, along with live videos on our Facebook page by the one-and-only Dave Everett (full series coming soon).

James will also be focusing on answering questions you’ve asked us during the previous days’ coverage, and definitely please leave your specific requests in the comments below as usual.

You can also look back on our previous coverage.

Click here for Wednesday’s day one and then go here to see Thursday’s images.

Prologo will offer its new CPC Airing concept on all three of its primary saddle shape families: the semi-round Nago, the flat-profile Zero, and the traditionally rounded Scratch 2 as shown here.

The new Prologo Nago C3 CPC Airing saddle features the latest incarnation of the company’s novel CPC non-slip texturing technology. This top-end model comes in at an extraordinarily light 153g (claimed).

Prologo’s original CPC texture system used an array of tiny rubber tubes spread out in strategic patches on the cover to provide grip and a bit of cushioning. The latest CPC Airing design features hexagonally shaped groupings of those little tubes that supposedly offer the same benefits, but with the additional plus of a little airflow to help keep your nether regions more comfortable.

Don’t be surprised if you start seeing dropper seatposts on gravel and adventure bikes in the near future. Especially on rougher terrain, it can be very beneficial to be able to lower your center of gravity at will.

KS is perhaps the only company to actually market a road-specific dropped post. The Zeta model offers just 50mm of maximum drop, but in a sleek package that is barely noticeable when properly installed. The seal head sits right on top of the collar, and the top is then cut to fit.

Thomson has finally redesigned its somewhat awkward looking layback post with a more conventional design that also offers a more generous 25mm of setback vs. the original one’s 16mm. This one doesn’t require as much extension, either.

Thomson hopes to have its new Masterpiece seatpost ready shortly after the new year. The carbon fiber shaft and carbon fiber clamp assembly adds up to just 160g, including hardware.

WL Gore has now opened up availability for its groundbreaking Active fabric to other brands. Premium Canadian clothing company 7Mesh’s ultralight rain and wind jacket weighs less than 100g – an astonishing 30% decrease over the already-feathery example from Gore Bike Wear.

7Mesh’s claim to fame is its attention to detail in regards to fabrics, patterning, fit, and construction methods. This front panel, for example, extends all the way through to the sleeve, with just enough seams to create an ergonomic fit. Minimizing the number of seams makes for a more pliable garment and a lower weight, too.

7Mesh actually convinced YKK to create this zipper custom, using components from three different stock zippers. According to 7Mesh, this setup is easier to slide up and down and produces less stress on the surrounding material.

Every detail has been scrutinized, such as the laser-cut hem and reflective surface treatment, which uses less material than a conventional hem that is folded over.

7mesh also went ultralight on this climbing jersey, built with almost zero fabric overlap and ultrasonically welded seams.

The backing fabric was chosen to maintain the surrounding material’s stretch characteristics.

Meanwhile, the front of the jersey is laser cut and bonded directly to the zipper – because it’s lighter.

Minimal? You betcha.

The lower hem is simply folded over and bonded to provide just a bit of structure to the bottom.

7mesh doesn’t market its new ultralight jersey as waterproof but it’s impressively water resistant.

Kask showed off two new aero helmets at this year’s Interbike show. The Mistral, as used by the Australian team at the Rio Olympics, is essentially an evolution of the current Bambino Pro with a somewhat clipped tail that accommodates a wider range of head positions.

Jeremy Powers is on Kask helmets this year.

Kask displayed two stunning helmets hand-painted by a Japanese artist who goes by the name of Noble Hardesty.

A paint job like this perhaps provides even more motivation than usual to stay upright.

Kask produced this helmet for Chris Froome, using a longer tail optimized for riding in an ideal head position.

Kask is still playing with the design of this helmet, and may never even bring it to market. One of the development questions is how to best funnel air out the back for good ventilation.

SwissStop is expanding beyond brake pads with the new Catalyst disc rotor. The construction is very straightforward – a stainless steel track on an aluminum carrier – but SwissStop claims that the rotor shape and hole pattern dramatically reduce operating temperatures and braking distances.

SwissStop’s Catalyst disc rotors incorporate three wear indicators so you know when they need to be replaced. When the little black divots are flush with the rest of the rotor surface, it’s time for new ones. It’s an ingenious feature that should be included in every rotor, along with the Catalyst’s rounded edges.

Inno Racks’ rooftop cargo box differs from its competition in that it uses a vacuum molded upper shell and an injection molded lower one. Most companies vacuum mold both sides, which is noticeably flimsier and less durable.

Inno Racks has its own range of aero-shaped roof rack cross bars. Multiple tower styles are available to suit different applications.

Thru-axle compatibility is going to become an increasingly big concern for roadies as disc brakes become more mainstream. This Inno Racks fork tray is purpose built for the task.

Inno Racks displayed a new hitch mounted tray-style rack that secures each bike at the wheels and down tube. When not in use, the arms fold up for more compact storage than usual.

Light&Motion’s Urban line is an excellent all-in-one option for road riding as the days get shorter. The top-end version churns out 850 lumens yet takes up minimal space on the bars.

Pioneer is currently developing a highly intriguing electronics package for gathering up information on how riders pedal and move on the bike. Wireless sensors on the shoes, seatpost, stem, and helmet capture a moving 3-D profile of how everything is moving in space, and then the data is analyzed later.

The sensor pods are quite small.

The collected data is quite extensive, capturing not just how the rider pedals but even how much time they spend rocking the bike side to side.

Pioneer will have its dual-sided Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 model available before the end of the year.

Want to run a Pioneer power meter with your Campagnolo drivetrain? Pioneer will install its power meter setup for you on a Potenza 11 crankset.

Effetto Mariposa is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Giustaforza portable torque wrench. It arguably established a trend a decade ago when it came on to the market, and it’s still one of the better options available today.

Boyd Cycling has added a new 90mm-deep carbon road wheel to its range for riders who are concerned more about straight-line speed than crosswind stability and low weight.

All Boyd Cycling wheels now offer US-made White Industries hubs as an available upgrade for US$350. Rear hubs feature machined titanium freehub bodies that are more resistant to scoring than aluminum ones.

Boyd Cycling is also offering Keronite plasma electrolytic coatings on select alloy models. The surface treatment is said to boost braking performance in both wet and dry conditions, and is also highly resistant to wear so it looks good for a longer period of time.

New from Boyd Cycling is the disc-specific Black&Tan aluminum tubular wheelset, aimed straight at budget-minded cyclocross racers with its 23mm-wide rim and a tire bed profile shaped for 32mm tires.

The Black&Tan uses Boyd Cycling’s standard Quest hubs.

Pearl Izumi will soon make available these limited-edition X-Project MTB/CX shoes, with a special graphical treatment to help raise funds for the Amy D Foundation. Amy Dombroski was a young American cyclocross racer who was tragically killed while training on the road in Belgium two years ago. Pearl Izumi will donate US$100 for each pair of shoes sold, with additional donations coming from an associated clothing line.

The Pearl Izumi Road Elite shoes feature a similar construction to the top-end model, including a one-piece upper that wraps around the underside of the carbon outsole to reduce the stack height. Retail price is US$240.

Why stop at 11 when you can go to 13? Pearl Izumi’s carbon outsole is apparently quite rigid.

Pearl Izumi is making a big push for daytime visibility on the road with its new BioViz range. According to Pearl Izumi, the collection isn’t just about bright colors, but also where on the body they’re most effective as well as the exact hues that are most visible at a distance.

The fluorescent shoe covers are especially visible because they’re in reciprocal motion.

Pearl Izumi has revamped its mid-range Escape collection with more refined fits, a new chamois design, and more subdued and elegant graphical treatments.

Pearl Izumi says it’s measured how much shorts compress both in the main part of the leg and at the opening in an effort to eliminate the dreaded “sausage leg”.

The new pads are only stitched at the front and rear edges, leaving the middle to move with the rider to supposedly reduce the incidence of chafing. Tapered edges in the foam underneath leave no hard edges, either.

James – your mission if you choose to accept it, is to find the most bizarre and wacky invention at the convention :) feel free to make it a Top 5 list

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cthenn

James, thanks for confirming the Pioneer/DA crankset, I heard that one’s gonna be $1500! Perhaps it’s available earlier because they will be buying the crankset once it’s released (soon, I think), and then add on their own PM tech.

But I’m still curious about the Shimano OEM version…when and how much? I hope it’s not $1500 also!!!

Boyd is becoming a household name now…I remember several years ago I bought a set of their Vitesse alu clinchers, based on deep internet forum finds. Next thing we’ll see is them sponsoring a WT team or seeing TV commercials!

Hyun-ji Song

Regarding the Dura Ace pm, I’d expect it to be pretty expensive, as its dual sided.

DaGoose

Does the carbon Thomson Masterpiece mean the end of the Al one? Was there anything wrong with it? Thought it was a cracking seatpost (not actually cracking but you know what I mean, and I’m biased as an owner of one). Or are they just adapting to consumer/market pressure of C>Al?
I realise this isn’t their first foray into C (with their KC CX bars) and LH Thomson doesn’t seem to do much carbon aero stuff so I’m scratching my head why a specialist Al company would venture into a very compentitive C market? Money and opportunity obviously but still scratching my head, no menace intended either, respect their work and appreciate the bike arm is likely a side project to their aviation one.

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